Board of Directors
| Representative - Halifax Sexual Health Centre | |
| Vanessa Walker | Representative - Cape Breton Centre for Sexual Health |
| Sheila Martin | Representative - Sheet Harbour Sexual Health Centre |
| Charlotte Gallivan | Representative - Sexual Health Centre for Cumberland County |
| Erin Hirtle | Representative - South Shore Sexual Health |
| Emma Van Rooyen | Co-Chair |
| Jenny Rand | Co-Chair |
| Bryah Boutilier | Secretary |
| Alex Hill | Treasurer |
| Ry Pembrooke | Member-at-Large |
| Sam Wilson | Member-at-Large |
| Claire Horn | Member-at-Large |
| Asia Holloway | Member-at-Large |
| Amanda Kolwich | Member-at-Large |
| Ella Lawrence | Member-at-Large |
Staff
Stella Samuels (they/them) – Executive Director
executivedirector@shns.ca
As Executive Director Stella supports the sexual health centres in managing their collaborative projects. They are also the provincial spokesperson for SHNS.
Stella has a passion for social justice, sexual health, and finding innovative ways to be, work, and play together in communities. They have taken a winding career path that includes entrepreneurship, nonprofit work, municipal governance, academia, and book publishing…sometimes in tandem. They bring with them a diverse set of expertise in non-profit leadership, systems change, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Kelsey Benoit (she/they) – Project Manager SUGAR Health
projectmanager@shns.ca
Kelsey Benoit is a queer settler living in Mi’kma’ki who holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Lakehead University. They care about working in anti-oppressive spaces that value diverse experiences and inclusivity.
Kelsey is passionate about harm reduction and uses this approach to inform their work. She has spent years working alongside, learning from, and advocating for the rights of people who use drugs. Due to her experience working in and with Indigenous communities and community members, Kelsey strives to work from a lens which is increasingly anti-colonial and informed by Indigenous knowledges.
Kelsey’s educational and work experience has involved destigmatizing healthcare, sexual health and 2SLGBTQIA+ education initiatives, community organizing and advocacy, as well as system navigation and case management.
Sar (they/them) – Transformation Closet Coordinator
transformationclosetshns@gmail.com
Sar (rhymes with bear) is a queer white settler living in Kjipuktuk. They have a background in queer- and trans-affirming community programming and gender-affirming gear production as a sewist. As a co-coordinator, you can find Sar swirling around in their spreadsheets, tracking down inventory, packing up orders, and building connections with other community organizations.
Outside of their work with the T Closet, Sar works as a counselling therapist and loves to noodle around with any kind of DIY project. They have two cats, of course.